


Pulse

by chassecroise (rhapsodyinpink), projectml



Series: Project: Bug-A-Boo [9]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-09-15 14:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9238073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapsodyinpink/pseuds/chassecroise, https://archiveofourown.org/users/projectml/pseuds/projectml
Summary: When Alix dares Kim to visit Père Lachaise Cemetery with her after midnight on Halloween, his competitive spirit convinces him to agree to the dare, even though he’s terrified of both ghosts and the dark. Surprisingly, it’s neither malevolent spirits nor the dark night that end up making him more nervous than anything else: it’s the realization that he might actually harbor romantic feelings for his tiny and fierce friend.





	

It’s not easy to scare Alix Kubdel.

At least, that’s what Kim has always thought, until this very moment. She’s always been tough as nails, and not even the goriest, creepiest stories that Juleka has been sharing with everyone in class over the past few weeks have even made her blink— not even the ones that made Kim shudder in the brand new Nike tennis shoes he bought last week.

But Alix Kubdel, she-who-is-never-frightened, the girl who once told him she would be the last girl standing if there was a zombie apocalypse?

She’s howling like a little girl who saw a ghost, and she’s practically on top of Adrien’s desk, her back arched like a hissing, frightened cat. Kim blinks and rubs his eyes, unsure if he’s imagining things, and then he follows her gaze to see what exactly it is that’s got her riled up like this.

Kim grins as he realizes what it is: Juleka’s skeleton hoodie.

He is never going to let this go.

To be fair, the hoodie, an early birthday gift from Rose, is definitely kind of freaky. If Kim didn’t already expect her to wear this kind of clothing, especially the day before Halloween, he might have jumped too. But it’s nothing out of the ordinary for her, and that’s why he’s so surprised when Alix reacts the way she does when she walks into class.

She’s distracted as she walks in, looking down at her phone and laughing at something, so she doesn’t notice Juleka standing in front of her, and she bumps right into her.

Forced to look up, Alix’s eyes go straight to the soul-less, empty eyes of the skeleton’s skull, and she absolutely _shrieks_.

“What is that?!” howls Alix, jumping three feet into the air before she notices Kim standing at his desk, staring at her with a mix of surprise and amusement.

“It’s just Juleka’s hoodie, Alix!” replies Mylene, patting her shoulder reassuringly. “Are you scared? Do you need some water? Let’s go walk into the hallway. I was a little nervous at first too, but Ivan pointed out that it was just a design and I had nothing to be scared about.”

Alix bites her lip and looks away. She doesn’t want to be rude to Mylene, who is the kindest person she knows, next to Rose, and she knows that she’s just trying to help her feel better. But unlike Alix, sweet Mylene doesn’t have an ego the size of a small European country, and it is not a matter of pride for her to admit that she is scared to anyone, let alone Kim. Everyone knows that she’s naturally nervous and they do their best not to make her feel anxious.

Alix, on the other hand, has carefully built a reputation of being tough and fierce. And the thing is, she wasn’t _really_ scared by the hoodie. She was just startled.

But Kim, staring at her with that shit-eating grin of his, obviously doesn’t care about little nuances like that.

He walks up to her and smirks.

“Was Mademoiselle Kubdel frightened by a little hoodie?”

Alix puffs up and stands arms akimbo as she turns the full strength of her steely gaze onto her smirking classmate, craning her neck up to meet his eyes.

“No, I’m not!”

“Prove it,” he responds, his voice both teasing and challenging.

“ _You_ prove it!”

“Whatever, I’m not the one who jumped in the air at a picture of a printed skeleton on a hoodie. And you call yourself fearless.”

“Don’t be dumb. I was looking down and I just didn’t see it earlier. I wasn’t actually scared.”

“Excuses, excuses,” says Kim, airily waving his arms around in the air.

“Whatever. I bet you’d be scared if you saw an actual skeleton.”

“Maybe, but that would be a real skeleton. Not a printed one. Big difference.”

“I’m willing to bet money on the fact that you’re wrong. You would scream like a little baby if you actually had to face a real skeleton in the dark.”

Kim narrows his eyes and leans down to Alix’s level with a confident sneer.

“Bring it on.”

Rose delicately walks past the bickering pair to Juleka, who is watching them, mouth agape, and taps her on the shoulder.

“My darling Juleka, would you like to go to Père Lachaise for a picnic today? It’s so nice and sunny!”

“Huh?” Juleka responds, obviously distracted. “Sorry, what did you ask?”

Alix whips her head to look at the two girls.

“Hold on. Did you just say Père Lachaise? Perfect.”

Kim raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“That’s right,” says Alix, grinning. “I dare you to meet me at Père Lachaise cemetery at midnight. We’re going to stay there until the sunrises or until one of us gets scared and leaves. Whoever gets scared and wants to go crying home to Maman first loses.”

Kim shakes his head vigorously. “No. Way. That’s dumb. I am not going to a cemetery on Halloween at midnight.”

“Oh yeah? Sounds like someone’s scared,” replies Alix, taunting.

Now on the defensive, Kim is the one who’s scowling, while everyone else in class turns their focus towards them

“No, I’m not!!”

“Well, prove it then!”

“FINE. I’LL SEE YOU THERE AT MIDNIGHT.”

“FINE!”

They storm away in opposite directions, leaving Rose and Juleka staring after them in awe.

“What just happened?” asks Juleka, slightly dazed.

Rose shakes her head and smiles, lightly clasping her hands together with glee.

“I don’t know, but they are so funny together! Don’t you think?”

Juleka laughs fondly at her girlfriend’s excitement. “That they are.”

~~~

“Are you and Kim actually going to go to Père Lachaise cemetery at midnight on Halloween?” Marinette asks Alix during chemistry class. Though she normally sits next to Alya during this class, both Alya and Alix’s usual lab partner Nathanael are out sick, leaving the two girls to be paired together. It’s clear that Marinette is very curious about the details of the bet; although it’s common knowledge that Alix and Kim are constantly daring each other to do ridiculous things, something seems unusually spooky about this particular bet, and it’s clear that everyone wants details.

Alix can roll with that. If anything, she can hype up her side of the story, and make it clear that the reason this bet is happening is to prove that she truly is the fearless one, and that Kim is the one who’s full of hot air and hidden fear.

She nods, grinning. “Yes, we are. He thinks I’m scared, but I bet he’s going to scream like a little girl if he sees a ghost.”

“Wouldn’t you?” asks Marinette, pursing her lips. “I mean, I think I’d be pretty scared if I saw an actual ghost. They’re pretty terrifying.”

Alix shrugs. “I don’t know. My father and brother have always told me that the spirit world is pretty harmless, as long as you leave them alone. So I’m not scared about that. I just don’t want to lose to Kim. I’m definitely braver than him.”

Marinette’s brows furrow, and her expression turns to one of concern.

“Okay, but what exactly would you be losing? I’m sure you could prove how brave you are without trespassing in a big cemetery at night, especially on Halloween. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Alix snorts. She knows that as class president, Marinette is quite well meaning, and she has everyone’s best interests at heart. Ever since she got elected, Alix has noticed that she often walks around and asks the others how they’re feeling and if there are any other changes that they would like to see implemented in the classroom, but as much as she cares, there are some things she will never understand. Like the dynamic between her and Kim, and how important it is for this bet to take place.

It’s a matter of pride, even more so than bravery. But it would take too long to explain all of that, so Alix just smiles and says, “Don’t worry about it, Marinette. We’ll be fine.”

Marinette nods and pats her on the shoulder. “Okay, but just think happy thoughts! Don’t let yourself be carried away by negativity.”

“Thanks, I guess,” replies Alix, slightly confused. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

At the other end of the classroom, Kim is engaged in a conversation about the same topic with Max, who, like Marinette, is skeptical about the whole endeavor.

“Kim, I know you refuse to admit this to anyone else, but I’ve known you since we were three. You’re terrified of both the dark _and_ of ghosts,” says Max with a tired sigh. “Why did you accept Alix’s dare? The statistical likelihood of you winning this dare is extremely low, and it was unwise of you to accept it.”

“What are you talking about? You’ve got a faulty memory. I’m not scared of ghosts or of the dark, and I’m definitely not losing to that shorty. I’m going to _win_.”

“I have the best memory in the school.”

“I know you do, Max. And you know that I’m the coolest, bravest, guy in the school. Help hype me up! If Alix keeps trash talking me all day in between classes, I’m going to lose all of my credibility.”

He cranes his ears towards Alix and Marinette. They’re too far away to hear any details of their conversation clearly, but he can make out the words “cemetery” and “terrifying”, and he nods knowingly.

“See? She won’t even take a break during class. I bet she’s trash talking me now. Be a bro and help me defend myself?”

Max shakes his head. “Kim, you should focus on how you can win this dare, instead of worrying about what other people are thinking about how brave you are. Prove it through your actions, not your words.”

Kim shakes his head. “Max, you’re a real bro and my best man, but you underestimate the importance of trash talk. It’s essential to get into the head of your enemy and psyche them out. Like this.”

He gets up from the desk and swaggers arrogantly over to the table where Alix and Marinette are sitting.

“Hey Alix. I heard a rumor that there are gonna be a lot of ghosts tomorrow night at Père Lachaise, and they’ve got a taste for human flesh. I hope you’ve been working out, since you’ll have to run from a lot of hungry ghosts.”

Alix doesn’t even look up at Kim. Instead, she carefully examines the bright lime green nail polish she put on this morning as she responds.

“I’m just going to remind you that in every long distance race we’ve had in gym class, I’ve been you by at least thirty seconds. If anyone’s going to get eaten by hungry ghosts tonight, it’s going to be you, not me.”

Just as Kim is about to respond, the bell rings, signalling that class is over, and Alix gets up and walks right past him without even saying goodbye.

Marinette reaches up and pats Kim on the shoulder as she passes him by.

“Don’t worry, Kim,” she says reassuringly. “If something really bad happens, Ladybug will be there to help take care of everything.”

Kim puffs up, his pride wounded. “I’m not scared of anything!”

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Marinette replies with a smile. “Sometimes fear can be strength.”

“That sounds like some fortune cookie mumbo—jumbo,” replies Kim, rolling his eyes.

“Maybe,” says Marinette. “But it’s something to think about.”

~~~

A few hours before midnight, Alix admits her plan about going to the cemetery to her older brother Jalil, just so someone knows what she’s up to for the night. Though her mother is busy with her job and mostly uninvolved in her daughter’s hijinks, Professor Kubdel and Jalil are well accustomed to hearing Alix come home and say things like “Kim told me that I would be too chicken to dye my hair two different colors at once, so I’m going to dye it _four_ different colors. Don’t come into the bathroom for the next 2 hours.”

When Alix tells him about her newest dare, Jalil sighs and nods and reminds her to be careful, and asks for Kim’s mother’s phone number again just in case. Though it’s true that he already has Madame Kim’s number on speed—dial, it’s part of the ritual he has with his little sister, just so she remembers that she’s not doing these silly stunts independent of adult oversight. It’s true that she might be fearless, but she’s still a kid.

“But you already have it!” she protests. “I just gave it to you last week!”

“Sorry, Papa accidentally deleted it. Can you please give it to me again?”

Alix scowls. “Ugh, fine, here it is. But you’re not actually going to call Madame Kim, right? I don’t want her to know we’re at Père Lachaise. Something tells me that she might not like the idea.”

“Since when have you cared what Madame Kim thinks about your dares with Kim?” replies Jalil, laughing. “This is new. Are you trying to tell me that even you might be scared about going to the cemetery? Is that why you don’t want his mother to know?”

“ _No_!” shouts Alix. “I am _fearless_. And anyway, that doesn’t even make any sense.”

Jalil smiles. “Whatever you say, sis.”

~~~

When Max comes over to the Kims’ after school, Madame Kim tells him he can find his best friend upstairs in his room.

“He seems a little nervous,” she says. “Do you know if it has anything to do with Alix? He won’t tell me anything, but I know that look.”

Max hesitates. It’s not his dare to share, and he’s not sure how much Kim has told his mother.

“Well, it might be. You know how they are.”

Madame Kim smiles fondly. “Ah, yes. Young love, you know. It’s the strangest thing, how they go about showing their affection for each other, but I suppose that’s how you kids are nowadays.”

Max blinks rapidly and steps backward, taken completely aback. He had no idea that Kim’s mother thought that he and Alix were dating. He wonders if there’s something that his best friend isn’t telling him, but then it occurs to him that the best way to eliminate all doubt would be to ask him directly.

Madame Kim gently clears her throat, breaking him from his reverie.

“Max? Kim is upstairs.”

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

When he reaches Kim’s room, his friend is pacing around the room like an angry tiger. His games and clothes are strewn all over the floor, and he looks unusually distressed.

He hasn’t been this way in a long time— in fact, not since he was pining over Chloé.

It makes Max wonder if there really is more going on behind the scenes between Kim and Alix, and if he’s hiding something.

It wouldn’t be the most surprising thing in the world, but then again, the last time Kim lost his heart to someone and got it broken, he was akumatized, so Max wants to tread carefully.

He raps on the doorframe to get Kim’s attention, but his friend doesn’t seem to notice. He clears his voice in another attempt to get his attention.

“Hi, Kim. Are you ready for tonight?”

Kim jumps at the sound of his voice.

“Huh? Oh, yeah…” he replies, trailing off.

Max frowns. “Are you okay? Are you sure you still want to go through with this?”  

Kim turns pale, but shakes his head with conviction. “It doesn’t matter. I have to do this. I can’t lose to Alix, especially not now.”

Max considers his words, thoughtful as he responds. “What do you mean by ‘especially not now’?”

“I mean that we’re at 30 dares, and we’re neck to neck. Alix has 15 wins and I have 15 wins. Tonight is a tie-breaker. If I chicken out now, she’s going to pull ahead again, and I refuse to let that happen.”

“Oh, I see. My mistake— I had interpreted it as something else.”

Kim narrows his eyes in confusion and looks more closely at Max. “Wait, what? What do you mean? Is it because I’m afraid of ghosts? I can’t let my fear keep me from beating her.”

Max shakes his head. “No-oo-oo…” he replies, drawing out the syllables slowly. “It’s because of something your mother said.”

“What did she say?”

“She implied that you and Alix were dating.”

Kim’s jaw drops to the floor. “What?! She really said that?!”

Max nods. “Yes, she did. Is it true?”

“Of course not!” Kim insists. “That’s insane!”

“You do care what she thinks, though,” comments Max. “I haven’t seen you react to any other girl this way since…you know.”

Kim stares at him, incredulous. “I can’t believe this. Are you sure you’re talking about Alix Kubdel? My number one rival? The fiercest shortie who would probably kick my ass if I asked her out? That Alix Kubdel?”

“Yes, of course. Who else would I be talking about?”

“That’s insane. She would never say yes.”

“So are you saying that you would actually consider it?”

“I…don’t know. I never thought of it as an option. I don’t know if she has, either.”

“There is certainly a level of friction between the two of you. I always thought of it as simple rivalry, but now that I think about it, there’s more. The two of you have chemistry— a real spark.”

“I can’t believe the words that are coming out of your mouth right now.”

“I can’t either. But I also can’t believe I didn’t notice it before. The signs are so obvious.”

“Max, nothing is obvious. You’re pulling things out of hot air.”

“All of my assumptions are based on careful observation,” replies Max, shaking his head. “And my observations indicate that you care what Alix thinks. More than any other girl.”

“Buddy, you’re supposed to help me psyche myself up for tonight, and instead, you’re freaking me out. How am I supposed to face her now?”

Max shakes his head. “There’s no reason to act any differently. I just wanted to point out something about your behavior that you might not have noticed before. It’s a simple observation. It doesn’t necessarily require any action on your part.”

Kim flops onto his bed and sighs, staring up at the ceiling.

“You say that like you’re talking about the weather and not about my potential romantic feelings for a friend.”

“It’s not that complicated.”

“You’ve never been in love, Max. How would you know?”

“I know that statistically speaking, it makes sense that you and Alix would have a connection. And also that the odds are good that she too has some feelings for you.”

“Man, I was already nervous about the cemetery tonight. I hate ghosts. And now I’m gonna be thinking about this too. I don’t even know what kind of romantic things Alix likes. I don’t think she would like flowers and chocolates.”

Max frowns. “With someone like Alix, it would be best not to assume. The best thing to do would be to ask her.”

“Where, at the cemetery?!”

“Of course. You’ll both be there for several hours. Consider it small talk. She won’t even realize it.”

“But what if she figures out that I’m asking because I like her?”

“So you do like her in that way.”

“I guess? Maybe? I don’t know,” Kim responds, frowning. “I’m really confused now.”

“Maybe being confused is better than being afraid.”

“Yeah, but I’m confused _and_ afraid now.”

“Don’t worry, Kim. You can do this. First of all, just remember that ghosts aren’t even real.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know that there’s no statistical evidence to prove that they exist.”

“And there isn’t any statistical evidence to prove that they don’t.”

“Don’t change the subject. You need to focus on beating Alix in this dare and also finding out what kind of romantic gifts she likes. You can do this. You’re the coolest guy I know!”

Kim smiles and sits back up, finally relaxing.

“Yeah. You know what? You’re right. I _can_ do this. I’m the man!”

“That’s the spirit!” Max cheers.

~~~

Ten minutes before midnight, Alix gingerly approaches the thick walls that border Père Lachaise. A bit of scouting earlier has revealed that this is one of the areas that are patrolled less carefully than the others, and it’s highly unlikely that one of the guards will notice. She’s agreed with Kim to meet inside by one of the mausoleums behind this part of the wall, rather than waiting outside and running the risk of being caught by a guard.

As Alix scales the wall, she can feel her heart racing. She’s not someone who’s easily scared— her extreme levels of adrenaline and combativeness usually don’t leave any room for that. But Père Lachaise is huge and spooky even during the day, and under the light of the full moon, it truly looks like a haunted city.

Both Jalil and her father have told her it’s not a good idea to interfere with the spirit world, especially on nights like Halloween, and to be careful where she takes the heirloom stopwatch she received for her birthday.

And normally, she listens to them, but whenever Kim gets her going, she stops thinking rationally and lets herself be fueled by pure emotion.

Perhaps it’s not the wisest thing to do, but then again, she’s the one who dared Kim to show up to the cemetery at midnight, and she’ll be damned if she lets little details like where she should take the stopwatch and where she shouldn’t keep her from winning this dare.

Alix feels the hairs rising on the back of her neck as she tiptoes through the deserted avenues, dwarfed by mausoleums and creepy statues, with nothing but dim little lamps to light the way. Unsurprisingly, there’s not a soul to be seen on the twisting pathways, except for the occasional security guard.

As the clock strikes midnight, Alix assumes a combat stance and parks herself next to a mausoleum that looks like it probably belongs to some famous person she’s read about in history class. She tells herself that the reason she’s standing there is because it’s the most well—lit of the tombs in the row, but deep down inside, she knows that a big part of the reason is because she genuinely believes that if there really is a ghost or phantom lurking inside, it would probably take longer for it to pass through the thick layers of marble and ivy encasing the coffin than it would if it was buried in a wooden box in the ground.

Five minutes pass, and Alix starts getting annoyed, wondering what could possibly be taking Kim so long. She can’t believe that he would actually chicken out on her, even though she knows he really is afraid of ghosts.

She pulls out her stopwatch and taps her feet impatiently. She’s done her due diligence and shown up. If Kim is going to back out on an important dare like this, he should have at least texted her. This is just rude.

And then a large hand clamps tightly onto her shoulder.

“WHO’S THERE?!” shouts Alix, tensing up as she whirls around and jerks away, her hands clenched into fists.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, nervous nellie, calm down! It’s just me!”

Kim’s voice and then Kim himself emerge out of the darkness, waving the bright beams of his cellphone light right in her face.

Alix scowls. “You’re late. It’s almost a quarter past midnight. Where have you been?”

“Aww, was ma petite Alix scared without me? How cute,” teases Kim, ruffling her hair.

Alix pulls his hand away from her hair and squeezes so hard he winces.

“You wish.”

~~~

As Kim trudges up the road to Père Lachaise close to midnight, he’s grateful for the darkness, for his heart is pounding and sweat is pouring out of every pore. He knows he’s already late to meet Alix, but he spent an hour trying to decide what to wear (ultimately going with his usual outfit), another fifteen minutes trying to decide whether or not to wear cologne (ultimately going with not), and then another twenty minutes listening to Max explain once again for at least the twenty-fifth time that he had nothing to be worried about (it didn’t work). By the time his mother has fallen asleep and he sneaks out the door, it’s already quite late, and he knows that Alix will have his head.

Of course, he can’t admit that he’s nervous to her, because that’s a sign of weakness.

But of course, he can’t stop thinking about what Max said, that he acts differently around Alix than he does around other girls, and he’s worried that it’s going to make things awkward when he meets up with her.

After dodging from the attention of several guards, Kim is finally able to scale the wall into the cemetery, and with the light of his cellphone, he strains his eyes, trying to find Alix. Finally, he spots her, crouching next to a mausoleum and tapping her feet impatiently while she glares at at that strange little watch of hers. She has a petulant expression on her face that’s actually endearing in its expressiveness, and as Kim looks more closely, he forgets to be afraid.

Alix is his friend. And feelings or no feelings, a dare is a dare. And he’s going to win.

He quietly tiptoes behind the other tombstones, trying not to capture her attention as  he starts planning how he can sneak up on her. Ultimately, he decides to to come from behind. It’s a successful approach, as Alix both jumps and shouts as she spins around to face him, eyes blazing.

~~~

“So what are the rules?” asks Kim as they walk down one of the side paths, shivering as he hugs himself. He doesn’t like how spooky Père Lachaise is, how the darkness goes on for miles and miles. A ghost could capture him right now, and nobody would be the wiser.

“Shhh,” hisses Alix. “You need to whisper, or the guards will hear you.”

“Are you afraid the guards will hear you, or the ghosts?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I just don’t want to get in trouble because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

Kim suddenly turns to her and grabs her arm, eyes wide. “Wait. Did you see that just now?”

Alix tenses up. “What? What did you see?”

Kim pauses ominously, letting the silence grow until Alix feels like kicking him in the shins to get an answer out of him.

Finally, he bends down and leans close to her ear.

“YOUR FACE! HAHAHA!!!” he shouts, cackling at his own cleverness.  

Alix scowls. “Are you serious?!” she whispers angrily. “I’m warning you right now, if you get us kicked out, you have to forfeit every win you’ve had so far.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” replies Kim, pouting. “You never said anything about that.”

“Well, I didn’t think you were going to act like an idiot, so I didn’t mention it.”

Kim gasps and presses his hand to his chest. “That’s offensive!”

“Your face is offensive,” mutters Alix.

Kim shakes his head. “You can’t take my phrase. I just used it. I’m gonna need you to stop.”

“Oh yeah? You and what army? Just try and stop me.”

“Good luck, shorty. You’re gonna need it,” Kim replies, casually waving his arms in the air.

When Alix proceeds to stomp on his foot, he tries not to groan.

~~~

After a half hour of wandering aimlessly around the winding streets of Père Lachaise and dodging pesky security guards who continue to pop up like daisies out of nowhere, both Alix and Kim are starting to feel the strain of staying up so late, but neither of them are ready to give up just yet.

As they sit on the edge of another mausoleum— this one simpler than some of the more ornate ones surrounding it, with a flat edge that makes it a perfect makeshift bench— a group of bats suddenly fly overhead.

“Wow, how cool!” comments Alix, watching them fly away with fascination, while Kim cringes and hides his head.

She turns to him with surprise. “What, you don’t think they look cool?”

“No, not at all. They’re so creepy.”

“What’s creepy about bats? They’re so cute!”

Kim pauses to consider this information. “So…you think bats are cute?”

“Um, yeah, I guess,” Alix replies, shrugging. “Why?”

“Just wondering.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Do you like flowers and chocolate?”

Alix furrows her eyebrows and stares at her friend in confusion. “Where is this coming from? What do flowers and chocolate have to do with what we’re doing right now?”

Kim sighs. “Never mind. Forget I asked anything.”

~~~

By 1am, there appear to be fewer security guards around, but unfortunately, the temperature also starts to rapidly drop, and Alix starts to shiver.

Kim notices immediately and turns to her, his eyes glittering with mirth.

“Oh my god, are you actually shaking with fear right now?”

“Of course not,” sputters Alix. “I’m just cold!”

“Oh.” Kim considers. This is a scenario he had not imagined, even though now that he thinks about it, Max had mentioned it as something that could potentially happen.  

He responds with the only logical response to such a statement.

“Well then, do you want to borrow my hoodie?”

“NO.”

“Why, are you scared of it? Don’t worry, it doesn’t have a skeleton on it. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“We’re literally standing inside a cemetery right now.”

“Yeah, because you’re scared of skeletons.”

“Am not!”

“Are too! Scaredy-cat.”

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. You still saw a security guard and thought it was a ghost vampire coming to drink your blood.”

“ _I_ never said that. You were the one who thought that guard was some sort of monster. I knew he was a guard all along. And anyway, don’t think I didn’t see you screaming like a little girl when you thought there was a spider on your shoulder five minutes ago.”

“Spiders are disgusting creatures.”

“Don’t be rude. You’re hurting my pet tarantula’s feelings. Millie has feelings too, you know.”

Kim recoils and shudders. “You have a pet tarantula?!”

“No, but I made you freak out!” Alix responds, cackling. “Serves you right!”

~~~

By 2am, both Alix and Kim are beginning to fade, and even though nothing has actually happened yet, the extreme exhaustion is beginning to set in, and they are both jumping at every little sound and shadow.  

~~~

By 2:30am, Kim is curled up in a ball, leaning on a headstone as he starts to doze off. Alix is leaning against him, her head jerking forward as she tries to fight off the sleep that is threatening to overcome her, when suddenly, a large BOOM in the distance jolts them awake and skittering away from each other.

“What was that?!” shouts Kim, in a tizzy. “Was that a ghost? A zombie? I don’t wanna die! I don’t wanna die before I have my first kiss!”

Alix slowly blinks at him as she processes this new information.

“Calm down, it was probably just a motorcycle or something. But more importantly…are you…trying to tell me…that you’ve never been kissed?”

“Don’t change the subject. It’s Halloween and the middle of the night and we’re probably about to be killed by angry spirits and it’s all because of this dumb dare!” cries Kim, waving his arms so frantically that he looks almost possessed.

“So….that’s a yes. Oh my god.”

Kim puffs up, defensive. “What? What’s so weird about that? I bet you haven’t either,” he responds, a challenge in his voice. “I’ve never heard you talk about dating anyone even once, and I’ve known you for eight years.”

Alix flushes dark pink in the darkness. It’s true that she, too, has never been kissed, but she doesn’t need Kim, of all people, to call her out like this.  

And then it occurs to her that she can kill two birds with one stone. Mostly, she thinks of Kim as someone who is a) annoying as hell and b) the only person who can keep up with her list of insane dares. She’s never actually considered the thought of dating him, but now that she thinks about it, he’s actually pretty cute. She wouldn’t mind kissing him, if she had to. And anyway, kissing him would both get him to shut up about never being kissed (the ideal outcome) and it would take care of her own first kiss problem.

So she yanks his sweatshirt strings and pulls him down to her level and quickly presses her lips against his.

“WELL, I HAVE NOW!” she shouts as she pulls away, jumping back on her feet.

Kim stares up at her, stunned. “That was like one second! That doesn’t even count!”

“What do you mean it doesn’t count?”

“I barely felt your lips! That wasn’t a good kiss!”

Alix glares at him, offended. “Like you would know what a good kiss feels like!”

Kim gets up and glares back as he brushes the dirt off his jeans. “Haven’t you ever seen a romantic comedy? A good kiss is supposed to last longer than that.”

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you show me how it’s done then? I dare you,” retorts Alix, standing arms akimbo.

“Fine.”

~~~

Kim can feel his pulse racing as he draws closer again to Alix, his lips still burning from her hard, rapidfire kiss. He smiles at her soft gasp as he wraps his arms around her waist and leans down and gently presses his lips to hers again, letting several seconds pass before he softly pulls away, even as Alix hums and leans in.

“ _That’s_ what a good kiss is like,” he whispers.

Alix looks at Kim, with an expression in her eyes that’s unlike anything he’s ever seen before.

“Is that right?” she murmurs. “Dare you to show me again.”

Kim can feel warmth rising to his cheeks as she closes her eyes and moves closer, and even though he’s not sure what he’s doing, it seems right to lean back in too—

And then a twig snaps in the distance, and the moment is broken as they startle away from each other.  

Alix turns to look at him, her voice once again veiled and closed off.

“Should we…get out of here? I don’t really want to stay here any longer.”

Kim nods. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Alix grabs Kim’s hand and pulls him down the narrow avenues and past the dimly lit mausoleum and doesn’t let go until they reach the wall and have to climb back up and jump down again.

Back on the other side, they lean against the edge of the wall, breathing heavy and filled with adrenaline from what has been a far more eventful night than either of them had actually anticipated— in more ways than one.

“Hey,” says Alix, in a voice that’s far too casual, considering everything that has just happened. “I was thinking, should we consider tonight a draw?”

Kim blinks. He’s forgotten all about the dare. “Um, sure. If that’s what you want, it’s cool with me.”

“Yeah, I think that’s better. So we’re still tied then.”

“I guess so.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“See you.”

They part with an awkward farewell, with a pat on the back and a half-hearted wave, and as they scatter in opposite directions to go home, neither is quite sure how to feel.  

But both of them stay up all night, thinking about the kiss.

~~~

The next day at school, all of the classmates surround them, curious about how it went.

“Were you scared?” asks Mylene.

“Wasn’t it lovely?” adds Rose, beaming at Juleka.

“Did you get any good footage of ghosts?” asks Nino as he looks at the poster for this year’s film competition.

“Neither of you felt any emotional distress, right?” chimes in Marinette.

While Kim answers questions left and right, Alix is oddly silent, only answering in monosyllables and refusing to elaborate on anything. A weird energy ultimately fills the room at her unusual behavior, but everyone knows well enough to leave her alone, especially considering Kim isn’t saying anything to tease her either.

Still, even though the others don’t say anything, Kim spends most of the morning classes staring at the back of her head, feeling troubled.

~~~

After school, Kim finds Alix sitting on the steps outside, playing idly with her stopwatch, seemingly casual. But it’s a facade; Kim doesn’t know when he started paying attention to her so closely, but he can tell that she’s incredibly tense.

He sits down beside her and taps her shoulder.

“Hey, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”

Alix turns to him, her expression turning guarded as she wraps her arms around herself.

“Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know, you just seem sort of tense. Do you…maybe wanna talk about what happened last night? I, um. I liked kissing you, and I thought…I thought that you liked it too. Was I wrong?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not tense,” she responds, short to the point of almost being unfriendly.

Kim frowns. Whatever this weird energy between them is right now, he doesn’t like it. So he switches gears and pokes her arm.

“Then are you scared?” he says, a challenge in his voice as he grins at her.

“What? _No_. Anyway, what would I be scared of?”

Alix sounds casual and distant, but the slight tremor in her voice gives away the tension she’s clearly feeling inside.

“This,” says Kim as he takes one of her hands and laces his fingers through hers, squeezing lightly. “Of, um…us. Wow, that sounds weird, doesn’t it? Us?”

She blushes, but doesn’t pull away.

“ _You’re_ weird. And why would I be scared of holding your hand?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

She turns to look at him, her gaze steady.

“I’m not scared.”

Kim’s voice is low, almost a hum. “Prove it.”

As fast as a bolt of lighting, she leans up and pecks him on the cheek before quickly pulling back.

“See? Not scared.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re not,” he murmurs, smiling.

Alix blinks in disbelief. “Did you just agree with me?”

“Maybe. Either way, no one will believe you if you said I did.”

“That’s not fair!”

Kim leans down and kisses her on top of her head with a self-satisfied smirk.

“All’s fair in love and war.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” snorts Alix, pulling her hand away.

Kim grins. “I bet people won’t believe you if you tell them we’re dating.”

“And I bet people won’t believe you if you tell them we’re dating,” replies Alix, rolling her eyes.

Kim leans in, a fresh challenge in his eyes. “I bet you’re too chicken to tell anyone.”

Alix raises an eyebrow. “Is that a challenge?”

“If you wanna see it that way, sure,” responds Kim, relaxing back against the steps.

“Okay,” says Alix, leaning up and kissing the tip of his nose before pinching his cheek, smiling as he flushes. “But I think I’ve already won.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This work was produced as part of a Project Miraculous Ladybug effort. In addition, we would like to thank the following beta readers for making the fic possible: @sarahcada and @kali_asleep


End file.
